Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is a lovely little treat for those hoping for a game that feels polished, yet easy to pick up. Taking control of Adol, the red-headed swordsman amnesiac is a pursuit that always gets the heart flowing.
Fast sword fighting, jumping between platforms, and killing endless hordes of monsters while you explore many regions throughout the experience. Though Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is a smaller game in the series, it packs enough content one would hope to have in an action RPG.
Alongside Adol’s long-running friend Dogi, you return to a familiar town where things aren’t as welcoming as a hero should expect. Monsters roam free in the highlands and a dear friend seems to be working with the nearby oppressive kingdom for reasons uncertain.
The opening introduction to the heroes wastes little time and gets you straight to the action. Only ten minutes in, you will find yourself exploring an abandoned mine filled with beasts, insects, and platforms to jump on and explore.
As one should expect from any RPG, killing endless hordes of monsters yields experience points to further supplement your prowess in killing even harder enemies.
Gold drops as well as temporary stat buffs and experience point boosters that will continue to stack the faster you keep killing more enemies. In one case, I saw the experience boost, reaching a multiplier of two.
Roaming through the mines, underground lava ruins and even some of the highlands of Felghana brought me back to the 16-bit era of gaming where all you needed was a sword, and a world to explore.
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana made me want to keep exploring, but not just to get more swords, armors, and shields, but to also see what secrets are being held inside the mysterious element themed statues you will discover.
One major concern was the boss battles. These encounters will trounce you over and over if you don’t make the effort to learn and understand their movement patterns.
The Option to grind and improve your armor, sword, and shields always exists, but the sheer speed and velocity of the game’s pacing might prevent you from stopping while the iron’s hot.
With patience and understanding of each boss encounter, it is very possible to succeed even without taking the time to grind, resulting in a Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana shaping up to be a fantastic ARPG experience. But be warned, the boss fights are no cakewalk even for the most seasoned red-haired adventurer!
